The chimera question
By Vivek Ramaswamy
July 16, 2007

WRITERS ranging from ancient Greek and Hindu poets to novelist Michael Crichton have all envisioned the fictional possibility of creating human-animal hybrids. The notion of "chimeras" was particularly horrifying to H.G. Wells, author of "The Island of Dr. Moreau." But over the past two years, the subject has quietly made its way into scientific journals. Unbeknownst to most Americans, today the creation of human-animal chimeras represents a valuable experimental tool that could revolutionize science and medicine.

However, the creation of these hybrid organisms also raises ethical questions: What rights should these organisms possess? Great Britain has already begun to take up the question; an official government report released last month backed the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos). US policymakers, however, are far from acting.

One of the main forces driving research in this area is the widespread interest in human embryonic stem cells. In vitro experiments suggest that these cells can differentiate into any cell type in the body, but whether they would retain that potential if implanted in an actual human body is not yet clear. Answering this question could well require experiments that would require the destruction of a developing human being at a point beyond what is acceptable to most people. the rest image